Braces do their job when you look after them. These ten tips cover the habits that keep your teeth healthy and your treatment on schedule.
Key points
- Fixed braces usually stay on for 18 to 24 months, and daily habits between visits shape how smoothly treatment goes.2
- Brush after meals, clean between the teeth every day and use fluoride to protect the enamel around the brackets.13
- Avoid hard, crunchy and sticky food, and ring the clinic straight away if a bracket comes off or a wire pokes out.13
- Keep every appointment, which usually fall every six to eight weeks, and keep seeing your regular dentist.1
- Wear your retainer when the braces come off, because teeth tend to move back without one.24
Fixed braces usually stay on for 18 to 24 months, and you are in charge of what happens in between visits.2 Small habits, repeated every day, make a big difference to how smoothly treatment goes and to how your teeth look when the braces come off. Here are ten that matter most.
1. Brush after every meal
Food and plaque collect around brackets and wires. NHS patient information advises brushing with fluoride toothpaste in the morning, at night and after meals, so keep a small toothbrush and toothpaste with you.1 Brush at the gum line and around each bracket, angling the brush so the bristles reach above and below the wire.
2. Clean between the teeth every day
A toothbrush cannot reach everything. Use an interdental brush every day between the teeth and under the braces, as NHS patient information advises.1 Floss threaders and water flossers can help, but ask your orthodontist what they recommend for you.
3. Use fluoride
A fluoride toothpaste, and a fluoride mouthwash once a day at a different time from brushing, help to protect enamel around the brackets.3 White marks near the brackets are an early sign of decay, so tell your dentist if you see them. See our guide to oral hygiene during orthodontic treatment for a routine that works.
4. Choose food carefully
Hard, crunchy and sticky food can break brackets and bend wires. Avoid chewing gum, nuts, hard sweets, ice and sticky toffee, cut apples and carrots into smaller pieces, and avoid biting into corn on the cob.1 Cut back on sugary food and drink, because sugar around the braces can lead to decay.1 Our article on keeping teeth healthy during orthodontic treatment explains why.
5. Plan for soreness
Teeth are often sore for a few days after the braces are fitted and after adjustments. Soft food and pain relief taken as directed may help.1 Comfort wax placed over a bracket that rubs can protect the lips and cheeks.3 Our guide do braces hurt? describes what is usual.
6. Deal with breakages straight away
If a bracket comes off or a wire pokes out, ring the clinic as soon as possible and do not wait for your next visit, because breakages can lengthen treatment.3 Brackets coming off is common enough in studies that it is worth repairing early.5 If a wire is sticking out and hurting, a little wax over the end can ease it until you are seen.
7. Keep every appointment
You come back every six to eight weeks to have the braces adjusted.1 Missing visits can slow treatment and add to its length. Book the next appointment before you leave, and tell the clinic if you cannot come.
8. Keep seeing your regular dentist
Keep seeing your regular dentist for check-ups while you have braces, because decay and gum problems are more likely if the teeth are not kept clean.1 Professional cleaning can remove plaque that brushing misses around the brackets.
9. Protect your braces when you play sport
If you play contact sports, ask for a mouthguard that fits over braces. A knock to the mouth can cut the lips and damage brackets and teeth.
10. Wear your retainer when treatment ends
All fixed brace treatment is followed by a retainer, because teeth tend to move back without one.24 Cochrane reviewers found the evidence on which kind of retainer holds teeth most steadily to be of low or very low certainty, so follow your orthodontist's advice on which kind to wear and for how long.4 We cover this in why wear retainers after orthodontic treatment.
A short routine for every day
- Morning: brush, clean between the teeth, check for loose brackets.
- After meals: brush or rinse thoroughly.
- Evening: brush, interdental brushes, fluoride mouthwash at a different time.
- Weekly: look in the mirror for white marks, red gums or loose parts.
How long will it take?
Fixed braces usually stay on for 18 to 24 months.2 Your own timeline depends on your teeth and on how well you keep to visits and care. Read our guide on how long braces take for the research.
Choosing a type of brace
If you have not yet decided, our pages describe metal braces, ceramic braces and braces treatment in general.
What the first week with braces is like
The first few days are the hardest. Teeth feel tender when you bite, the lips and cheeks may be sore where they rub on the brackets, and it takes a little while to learn how to speak and eat around the appliance. Soft food, pain relief taken as directed and comfort wax over any bracket that rubs usually see most people through.13
Soreness tends to fade within about a week. It returns for a day or two after some adjustments, but usually feels milder than at the start. Talking aloud, reading to yourself and eating slowly all help your tongue and cheeks to adapt. If an ulcer forms, a warm salt-water rinse is soothing, and persistent ulcers or sharp pain should be shown to the orthodontist.
Cleaning tools worth having in your kit
- A soft toothbrush, with a spare in your bag, since the bristles wear quickly around brackets.
- Interdental brushes, in a size that slides under the wire without force. NHS patient information advises using them every day.1
- Floss threaders or superfloss, for the spaces that an interdental brush cannot reach.
- A fluoride mouthwash, used once a day at a different time from brushing so the toothpaste is not rinsed away.3
- Orthodontic wax, for any bracket or wire that rubs.
- A small mirror, so you can check the brackets and gums yourself.
A water flosser can help flush debris from around brackets, but it supports brushing and interdental cleaning and does not replace them. Ask your orthodontist to watch you clean at an appointment, because a two-minute demonstration often corrects habits that months of reading will not.
Signs that treatment is going well
You will usually notice gaps closing, crowded teeth lining up and the bite changing at the appointments, even if the change from day to day is hard to see. Good signs are firm brackets, healthy pink gums, no new white marks near the brackets and the same schedule of visits kept without long gaps.
Raise a concern with your orthodontist if brackets keep coming off, gums bleed or swell and do not improve with careful cleaning, white or chalky marks appear near the brackets, or pain lasts beyond a few days after an adjustment.13 These problems are easier to deal with when they are caught early.
Myths and facts about living with braces
Myth: I cannot eat anything I like. You can eat most things, if you avoid hard, crunchy and sticky food and cut food into smaller pieces.1
Myth: braces ruin teeth. They do not, as long as the teeth are kept clean. Decay and gum problems are more likely if cleaning is poor, which is why the habits in this guide matter.1
Myth: the retainer is optional. All fixed brace treatment is followed by a retainer, because teeth tend to move back without one.2
Fact: most people get used to braces within weeks. The first days are the hardest, and after that the braces become part of the routine.
Tips for different situations
At school or work. Keep a small kit with a toothbrush, toothpaste, interdental brushes and wax. A few minutes after lunch makes a big difference.
At parties and restaurants. Choose softer food if you can, cut food into smaller pieces and rinse your mouth afterwards.
Playing a musical instrument. Wind instruments can feel different at first. Wax can help, and your mouth adapts.
Travelling. Take your kit, spare wax and the clinic's contact details, so you know whom to call if a bracket breaks.
Having photographs taken. Smile as you wish. Many people feel self-conscious at first, but braces are very common, and the result is worth the wait.
What to do in an emergency
Most braces problems are not emergencies. A loose bracket or poking wire is a nuisance, and the clinic can see you soon. If you have a knock to the mouth, bleeding that will not stop or swelling that spreads, get help promptly. Our guide to a dental emergency explains what counts as urgent.
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat normally with braces?
Mostly, but avoid hard, crunchy and sticky food that can break the braces, cut food into smaller pieces and do not chew gum.1
What if a bracket comes off at the weekend?
Ring the clinic. Keep the bracket if you can, and use wax on any wire that pokes.
Do I need a special toothbrush?
A soft or small-headed toothbrush plus interdental brushes helps. Ask your orthodontist for a recommendation.
Will my teeth stay straight after braces?
Only if you wear a retainer as advised, because teeth tend to move back without one.24
Can I play sports with braces?
Yes, with a mouthguard designed for braces. Ask your orthodontist.
Can I kiss with braces?
Yes. Brackets are small and smooth, and most people find it is no problem.
What if my braces feel loose?
Ring the clinic. A loose bracket needs repair, and breakages can lengthen treatment.3
Do braces hurt all the time?
No. Soreness is usually worst for the first few days and after adjustments, and it eases with soft food and pain relief taken as directed.1
How can I stop braces rubbing my cheeks?
Orthodontic wax pressed over the bracket or wire that rubs usually helps. If the problem continues, ask the clinic to look at it.3
About the author
Dr Anupam Sinha, BDS, MDS – Orthodontics. BDS (2002), KLE Vishwanath Katti Institute of Dental Sciences, Belgaum. MDS in Orthodontics (2006), SDM College of Dental Sciences, Dharwad. His thesis work won a national research award in 2005, and he holds a certification in aesthetic dentistry. He sees patients at Orion Dental Clinic in Greater Kailash 1, South Delhi. Read the full profile of Dr Anupam Sinha.
Sources
- NHS website. Braces and orthodontics (patient information). Page review date 29 June 2026. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/orthodontics/
- British Orthodontic Society. Conventional fixed braces (patient information). https://bos.org.uk/conventional/
- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. Orthodontics: fixed brace instructions (patient information). https://ncic.nhs.uk/patients-visitors/patient-information-leaflets/orthodontics-fixed-brace-instructions
- Martin C, Littlewood SJ, Millett DT, Doubleday B, Bearn D, Worthington HV, Limones A. Retention procedures for stabilising tooth position after treatment with orthodontic braces. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023, CD002283. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002283.pub5
- Almosa N, Zafar H. Incidence of orthodontic brackets detachment during orthodontic treatment: a systematic review. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 2018;34(3):744-750. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30034451/
Medically reviewed by Dr Anupam Sinha, BDS, MDS – Orthodontics, on . General information for patients from Orion Dental Clinic, last updated 23 October 2026. It is not advice for one person, so ask a dentist what suits you. To report an error, contact us.